Kingdom Hearts Next Generation: Setting Sun
by bizzleb
Summary: The journey for Matt and his friends comes to an explosive and dramatic end. All questions will be answered. All truths will be faced, and all hell is sure to break loose. As the final chapter comes to a close, will Matt be able to face his greatest challenge yet?


_**Hey everyone! Well, at least I finally got around to getting this first chapter done of the story, and i didn't waste any time with getting into the action. Hope you all like it. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom Hearts games or characters. I also don't own Stitch, Pikachu, Neo, or Price. I do own, Matt and Laura, my OCs.  
**_

It was a warm day on a small island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. A small breeze blew through the land, making the palm trees sway. The waves rolled up lazily against the beach, scattering the sand and leaving shells behind. In the background, several abandoned huts dotted the landscape. An old, wooden peer jetted over water, leading to a tall tree that allowed whoever sat in it's shade to gaze out at the horizon. It was truly a peaceful scene…

…but it wouldn't last long.

Suddenly, a dark portal opened up out of nowhere, a young teen flying out of it's depths and onto the sand with a thump. The teen had long, silver hair and blue eyes. His clothing consisted of battered and dusty clothes, which were a yellow vest with a black undershirt and blue jeans. The teen's body was covered in various bruises and scares, one of his eyes severely swollen. His breathing was somewhat labored as well.

The teen looked up and gasped in amazement. "I'm…I'm home…," he whispered before falling forward into the sand.

Behind the teen came another figure covered in dark clothing, a gold Keyblade in his right arm. The man grunted and gripped the teen's t-shirt, pulling him to his knees. "Get up!" he ordered. "We don't have time to play in the sand today."

The teen groaned, gritting his teeth as he slowly staggered to his feet, his back to the figure behind him. "Why…why did you bring me here?"

The figure laughed a little. "C'mon, Riku. You're a smart guy. I would've thought you'd have figured it out right now."

Riku grunted. "Well…let's say I didn't then...now answer me!"

"Very well…it's not that hard anyways. All you have to do…is call him."

Riku sighed, his suspicions realized. "If you're referring to the King…then I'm afraid you're out of luck. He's nowhere near this island."

"He doesn't need to be," the figure replied. "Don't think I don't know about the little bond you two have with each other. I'm pretty sure he'll hear you…and when he does that old fool will come running."

The silver haired teen shook his head, cursing in his mind over his situation. "What makes you think I'll hand you the King?"

"My, my, Riku! I'm surprised…and here I thought you cared about Kairi's well being…"

Riku grunted and whirled around. "I can't believe you! I'd understand a little about why you'd do this to me…but Kairi? I thought she meant everything to you, Sora!"

The figure growled and lowered his hood, revealing another young teen with spiky, brown hair and blue eyes. "I already told you, Riku! Kairi means nothing to me now! I could care less if she lives or dies at this point, but perhaps I'd be a little more thoughtful if you do one little job for me."

Riku just stared at his friend, his body shaking in anger and hurt. "I didn't want to believe it…but you really have changed. You don't deserve to wield that weapon!" Riku quickly summoned his own Soul Eater blade and charged his friend, but Sora was far too quick for the older teen. Sora knocked the Soul Eater out of Riku's hand and struck him hard across his side, causing Riku to fall again to his knees.

"Not very smart, Riku," Sora said blankly. "I thought you learned from all of our sparring sessions how it's pointless to try and fight me." He then yanked his former friend back to his feet and pointed him forward towards the ocean. "Now then, where we were? Oh, yeah! Call out to him right now…or Kairi will suffer…"

Riku hung his head slowly, his morale depleted. His only hope now was that the King could somehow help him in this dire situation. _Forgive me…_

"Mickey…," Riku said aloud. "If you can hear me, I need your help. Please…please help me!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Disney Castle, the King was resting on a bench next to the fountain in his garden. Suddenly, his ears perked at the sound of a familiar voice. Mickey gasped, springing to his feet. "Riku!" He called. "Riku, is that you?"

_"Please, Your Majesty…please come help me. Please…"_

"It is Riku!" Mickey shouted. Overjoyed, the King rushed out of the garden and into the main hall, where Neo and Captain Price were waiting. He then explained to the men about hearing Riku's voice, knowing that he was alright.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Mickey asked. "We've got to go now!"

"Wait a second, Your Majesty," Neo stated, holding up his hands. "We need to slow down and think this over."

"What's to think over? Riku's out there, and he needs me right now! I won't wait any longer."

"I don't like this," Price exclaimed while rubbing his beard. "Something about this isn't right. How do you know if he's alright or not? This could be some kind of trap."

"Which is why Neo can come with me!" The King replied. "I'm sure the two of us can handle whatever the Organization may cook up. Now c'mon, let's go! There's no time to waste!" With that, the King sprinted out into the hall towards the ship bay.

Neo sighed and shook his head. "He may be right. This may be our best chance to get Riku now, trap or not."

"I still don't like it," Price grunted.

"Which is why you should call Matt, Stitch, and Pikachu for backup," Neo added. "Someone needs to stay back here and protect the castle too."

Price sighed. "Fine…but make it snappy."

Neo nodded. "Always do…" Neo then hurried off after the King.

* * *

After a quick Gummi Ship flight, King Mickey and Neo had followed the faint signal all the way to the Destiny Islands. Once landed, the King rushed out of the ship and sprinted across the beach. His eyes widened in shock when he found the sprawling form of the teen with white hair. The King hurried to his side and shook the boy to try and arouse him. "Riku? Riku?"

Riku groaned as he stirred awake. "M…mic…key…"

"It's alright, Riku. I'm here now. Boy, am I glad to see you."

"S…s…sora…"

The King's ears perked up again. "Riku, what is it? Do you know where Sora is?"

Suddenly, another voice came from out of nowhere. "Closer than you think." Within moments, a shot of dark energy was hurtled towards the unsuspecting King.

"Your Majesty, look out!" Neo cried as he sprinted to his aid.

The King gasped and quickly summoned his Keyblade, intercepting the energy attack before sending it towards the sea and out of harm's way. "What the…?"

"Heh heh heh," said the black clothed figure striding towards the King and his allies. "Long time no see…Your Majesty."

The King and Neo both gaped in awe at the brown, spiky haired boy in their presence, a Keyblade firmly in his grasp. "Sora!" The King gasped. "It's you! You're alright!"

"Oh, I'm more than alright," the teen replied. "In fact, I've never felt better in my entire life."

"Your Majesty…," Riku grunted as he forced himself up. "Sora…he…he's not himself."

"What do you mean?" The King asked. "He looks fine to me…though I don't get why he's wearing…their clothing." Mickey gritted his teeth, already sensing that Riku wasn't lying. Something was off with Sora, as usually he felt a warm light emitting from the teen. However, all he could feel now was the complete opposite.

"Sora…," the King gaped. "What…what is the meaning of all this? Did _you _do this to Riku?"

Sora shrugged a little bit. "Oh, Riku? I didn't hurt him…much. Don't worry though, he served his purpose."

"I'm sorry…Your Majesty…," Riku managed to gasp out. "I tried…my very best…" The teen then fell forward again only to be caught by Neo.

"Looks like he's in pretty bad shape, Your Majesty," Neo exclaimed. "We need to get him back to the castle immediately."

The King nodded. "You're right." He turned to the other young Keyblader. "Sora, please, come with us! Riku needs help and he needs it now!"

The teen held up a finger and pointed it back and forth while shaking his head. "Sorry, but I'm not leaving until I have what I came for." Sora then grinned a wide grin and pointed for the King. "_You…"_

"What? What are you talking about?"

"In order for his plans to work, we need massive amounts of energy…and there's no better source than that of a warrior of the Keyblade. So I ask you to come with me quietly, and there won't have to be any pain on your part." He pointed his own blade towards the King. "So…what's it going to be, Your Highness?"

Neo grunted and stood by the King, his fists raised. "Oh, really? I'd like to see you try with me around."

The King grit his teeth. "Neo…take Riku and go."

The powerful warrior gaped in surprise. "What? No way! I'm not going to just let you fight him alone."

The King shook his head again. "No, Neo. This is one battle I must face alone. Sora has been my responsibility for as long as I can remember, and right now he needs me more than ever." Neo hung his head, uncertain as whether or not to obey or not. "Please, Neo. As a friend…I'm asking you let me handle this."

Neo grit his teeth, nodding in compliance. "Alright then, but I won't hesitate to come right back if you need my help."

"This will be over by then," the King replied blatantly, his Keyblade flashing at his words.

Neo then reluctantly lifted the passed out Riku by an arm before taking a long look back. He then hurried across the beach back towards the beach and onto the ship. "Good luck…," he whispered as the ship's door closed behind him.

The King and Sora continued to stare each other down for several minutes, the breeze causing the trees to sway around them.

"I'm warning you one last time, Sora," the King exclaimed as he took his stance. "Please…don't make me do something I don't want to do."

Sora simply chuckled. "That's too bad, Mickey. And here I was hoping to have a little bit of fun." Sora then took his own stance. "Now then…get ready."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the reaches of space far from the Islands, Matt and his group members were busy recovering from one of their missions. Both Stitch and Pikachu were busy snoozing on the cot while Matt was examining his blade thoroughly when suddenly an alarm sounded. Both Stitch and Pikachu bolted awake with a start.

"Whoa!" Stitch yelled.

"What in the world…?" Pikachu exclaimed.

"It's Neo!" Matt replied. Their mentor's face flashed on the screen, and the trio had never seen him with a more grim look.

"Alright, listen very closely," Neo exclaimed, getting straight to the point. "You need to get to the Destiny Islands, and you need to get there right now!"

"Whoa, whoa," Matt replied. "What's going on, Neo? What's the hurry?"

"It's the King," Neo replied. "And he's fighting Sora…"

"Sora?" The trio yelled out in both surprise, relief, and slight confusion.

"Yeah," Neo replied. He quickly explained the situation to the trio about what had just occurred just moments ago.

Matt's eyes narrowed. "Neo, why didn't you stay there and help him? The King is strong, but what if he can't take on Sora alone?"

Neo's head hung for several moments. "He made me leave…because he knew that Riku needed the help more." He motioned towards the teen lying on one of the cots in his own ship. "What matters now is that you need to get there now before something bad happens."

Pikachu and Stitch both nodded. "You bet," they both said together.

"We'll get there as soon as possible!" Matt replied.

Neo sighed and nodded in response. "Alright…now make it snappy." With that, Neo disappeared off the screen.

Matt sighed and looked at his feet momentarily. Finally, after so long of searching for the lost Keyblader, they now had finally located both Riku and Sora. Unfortunately, now Matt was concerned to why Sora was fighting against the King, and why Riku was heavily injured at Sora's own hand. Something was definitely afoot, but for now that would have to wait.

Matt then rose from his seat and turned to his blue companion. "The wheels all yours, Stitch. Do your stuff!"

Stitch grinned widely and hopped onto the driver's seat. "Ooohhhh. Here we go!" The little alien then put the ship into motion, sending it hurtling through the space towards their new destination.

_Hold on, King Mickey…_Matt thought. _ Were on our way…_

* * *

Both Sora and the King broke away from one another after yet another clash between their blades. While Sora looked as though he'd barely broke a sweat, the King was a whole other story. The King was panting very heavily, his shoulders rising and falling at an alarming rate.

Sora laughed heartily for several seconds. "Really? Is that the best you can do? I thought you were a Master!"

The King groaned loudly. He knew that Sora was tough, but he hadn't anticipated Sora being this strong. He couldn't even land a blow against the younger warrior, as he sensed the boy's dark power had been growing with each passing second. Not only that, but this Sora was also ruthless with his attacks, not once letting up to give any sort of mercy. One thing was for sure…Sora hadn't spent his time away sitting on his behind.

"Listen, Sora! The power that you're using…it's not you! You're better than that! I know it!"

"Save the bantering, you old coot! I'm better because of this power, and now let me show you what I mean!" With that, Sora swung his Keyblade horizontally, sending several dark balls of energy towards the King.

King Mickey quickly jumped out of the way of the incoming energy before charging in once more. He quickly muttered an incantation, allowing him to cast a powerful fire spell from his blade. Unfortunately, Sora countered by swinging his blade and sending the fire into another direction. The King then came down from his leap looking to strike fiercely, but the thought of hurting Sora entered his mind momentarily and forcing him to slow down. The hesitance proved costly as Sora quickly dive rolled out of the way once more, causing the King to land awkwardly in the sand below. Sora then took advantage of the opportunity, unleashing a powerful combination strike on the vulnerable king, sending the mouse flying to the sand in agony. Sora then grinned widely, pointing his Keyblade towards the King as the mouse tried to work his way back to his feet.

"Alright," Sora then grinned. "I think I've made you suffer enough. Time to get this show on the road. I'm on a deadline." Sora then charged a powerful beam on dark energy on his blade's tip.

The King gasped in realization. It couldn't be…

"That's right," Sora replied. "That technique that your little 'savior' can do…I can do it better." The beam then grew even larger as Sora began laughing manically. "Now THIS is power!"

"Sora…," the King said shakily, his voice quivering. "Please…I know that little boy I used to know is in there. You have to fight back…I know you can."

"The old Sora is gone!" The teen replied with a loud sneer. "Now hold still!" Sora then leaped high into the air and pointed his blade towards the King, unleashing his dark energy blast towards the mouse. King Mickey, too drained emotionally more than physically, just stood dumbfounded, unable to even try and fight back…

"NO!" came a sudden voice. A cloaked figure suddenly emerged from the brush from around the area and hurried to the King's side. He then tackled the King out of the direct path of the energy blast, but the shockwave emitted from it sent both of them flying several feet into one of the various trees with a loud crash.

The figure groaned, his hood dropping to reveal a certain boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. "King Mickey…are you…alright?"

The King looked up. "Roxas…you have to…"

Roxas then shook his head. "I know what he plans to do with you, Your Majesty. I can't let that happen. The Sora I know wouldn't want that."

"But…"

"No buts…let me handle this." With that, Roxas hurried to his feet and quickly summoned his two signature blades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

By now, Sora walked up to the pair. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my old buddy, Roxas. I thought I told you never to show your face in my presence again."

Roxas chuckled. "You should know by now…we're both too stubborn to listen."

"Step aside, Roxas. I'd rather not destroy you, but I will if I have to."

Roxas shook his head no. "I can't let you do that. Listen to me, Sora, I don't know what that maniac you call a master said to you, but you've got to wake up! We can end all this right now!"

Sora shrugged his shoulders. "Nah…I think I'll pass on that offer. Here's a new one." Sora then snapped his fingers, causing several Dusk Nobodies and Knight Heartless to surround his other half. "Move or my new friends will make you move."

"I'll take my chances," Roxas muttered as he charged in and struck down several Dusks in his way. Two more jumped from behind him, but he managed to quickly spin around and wipe them out as well. Unfortunately, Sora had summoned so many enemies that it was near impossible for Roxas to keep on eye on the barely conscious King.

"Now where was I?" Sora asked as he strode calmly over to the downed mouse. "Oh, that's right! You're coming with me!" He then reached down and grabbed the King roughly by his ears and picked him up.

Roxas gasped and whirled around. "No!" He yelled as he tried to sprint to the King's aid, but another dozen of the Dusks appeared in front of him and blocked the way. "Stop!"

Sora chuckled and summoned a dark portal behind him. "Smell ya later, Roxas." He then turned and walked into the portal, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Roxas cursed loudly before his eyes began to glow a bright white. "THAT DOES IT!" Within seconds, he then sped throughout the remaining Nobodies and slashed them all away with one long stroke of each of his blades. However, when the deed was done and the enemies gone, the Nobody then sank to his knees. He then yelled loudly to the sky before pounding the sand with his fists.

After several minutes, Roxas then looked up and gritted his teeth. He then summoned his own portal before jumping through it…

* * *

Matt, Stitch, and Pikachu were mere minutes away from the Destiny Islands. However, before they arrived, their ship immediately stopped on its own.

"What gives?" Pikachu asked, his head tilted to the side in confusion.

"I don't know…," Matt replied.

Suddenly, from behind the trio, a small portal opened behind them and none other than Roxas emerged from it, his head lowered to the ground.

"Roxas!" The trio yelled together.

"It's too late…," Roxas replied blankly. "The King…he's been captured."

Stitch and Pikachu both gasped loudly at the news, while Matt shook his head in disbelief. "No way," the teen replied. "That can't be possible!"

"Believe it," Roxas added. "I saw it with my own eyes." The Nobody then walked over and sunk onto the cot, burying his hands into his face. "I tried everything, but Sora was just too much for me to handle."

Matt gritted his teeth. "Alright, what the hell is going on? Why is Sora helping the Organzation? It doesn't make any sense."

"Sora not bad…," Stitch added. "Stitch knows Sora not bad."

"He's not…," Roxas replied. "At least…he wasn't up until recently…"

Matt's eyes narrowed. "You've _known_ about this, and not once did you both to tell us about it? What else have you been hiding from us, Roxas?"

Roxas sighed deeply. "I think now is the best time to come through on a long overdue explanation." He then shook his head. "I was definitely an idiot to think I could handle it all by myself."

The trio then stood around Roxas, all ears trained to his voice. "You all know that I am the Nobody of Sora. Therefore, I always am aware of what's going on in his life. Well, I'm sure the King told you of how he'd sensed a strange darkness in the worlds several months ago. He sent Sora, Donald, and Goofy out to investigate this new threat. We were out several weeks trying to find answers, before answers quickly found us. Sora and the others were attacked by several people in Organization clothing, a few that I remember, but several of them were unfamiliar to me. They quickly overpowered them and carried them through a portal of darkness to some kind of fortress."

Roxas paused and continued. "I remember Sora was brought forth to their leader, who never once revealed his face. We were surprised that he could wield a Keyblade too. He fought Sora for a little bit to see how strong they both were, but Sora was quickly overpowered. Still, this Master said he had use for Sora, but knew that he wouldn't work for him willingly. The leader then pointed his blade and shot some sort of strange energy at Sora, and it made him covered in darkness. The next thing I knew, I was separated from Sora. Without me, Sora then passed out. I tried to help him out, but that Xavier guy dragged me out before I could do anything. He then threw me in this weird place called the Keyblade Graveyard and left me to rot."

Everything started to make sense. "So…you're saying that Sora's gone bad because you're not a part of him anymore."

"You're half right. Without me, Sora is more vulnerable to the darkness and is therefore more easily swayed. I can only guess that even his heart wasn't strong enough to resist the temptation."

Pikachu and Stitch's ears both drooped. "Poor Sora…," Stitch whined.

"That's not all," Roxas added. "From what the King told me, Riku and Kairi decided to look for Sora and the others when he never came home. Unfortunately, they too were quickly overpowered by the Organization's forces. You know by now that Kairi was taken prisoner by Maleficent, but Riku was a whole other story. From what I could pick up, the leader of the Organization used Riku as a test dummy in order for Sora to practice his 'new skills'. To be honest, I'm surprised he lasted this long already."

Matt shrugged off the comment and pressed forward. "So all this time…this leader has been making Sora do his dirty work for him?" Roxas nodded. Matt put his hands to his head. "Wow…"

"I don't get it though," Pikachu then added. "Why did you wait until now to tell us about this? We could've helped."

Roxas chuckled. "Like I said, I thought I could handle this on my own. Sora is a part of me, and therefore it's my responsibility to reunite with him whatever way I can. Still, I had a feeling that it was going to take more than that to get through to him. The King got in touch with me and told me how he was sure that you three could help, but only if you were all ready. I guess after what I've seen, you guys are pretty darn good. Still, I don't know if that will be enough at this point."

The room was silent for several moments. Matt opened his mouth to speak, but was surprised to see a video message coming in on the screen. "Hey, it's probably Neo!"

However, when the teen responded to the message, a completely different face was on the screen.

"Sora!" Stitch and Pikachu gasped.

"What the…?" Matt asked, a stunned Roxas at his side as well.

"What do you know, you three posers actually answered!" Sora sneered from the screen.

Matt growled and slammed his hands on the control panel. "Alright, Sora! Enough games! What did you do with King Mickey, and where are you hiding?"

Sora put up his hands. "Geez, geez, take it easy there. I was getting to that. But first, I wanted to show you all something." He then stepped backwards and out of the picture to a scene that left the four warriors horrified.

"Isn't that…?" Matt asked.

"It is…," Roxas replied.

In the background was none other than the great power that held the one and only Yen Sid. However, several chunks of the building were now missing as well as there was smoke issuing from several points. All along the building and the grounds, several Shadows were seen crawling along the surface.

"Oh no…," Pikachu groaned.

"This can't be…," Roxas added. "How did you…?"

"Before you all ask," Sora interrupted. "That old fart Yen Sid decided to be smart and hightailed it out of here by the time we got here. I suppose he'd rather abandon his old tower than see his old student bite the dust."

Matt grunted. The one warrior he admired for so long had perhaps become something he loathed…a power hungry tyrant. "How dare you?"

"Oh…," Sora said with a feigned frown. "Did I hurt your feelings? Well good, maybe that will give you some extra motivation. My message is loud and clear for you, Keyblader wannabe." Sora pointed towards the very top of the tower. "Right now, your Royal Highness is all the way at the top being drained for all that his miserable self is worth. You want him, then come down here and get him! Try not to keep me waiting…" With that, the message clicked off, leaving the four speechless for several moments.

Within seconds though, another video call showed on the screen, this time revealing both Neo and Captain Price. "Thank God, I thought we were never going to get through to you guys!"

"Neo!" Matt exclaimed. "How's Riku? What's his condition?"

Neo sighed. "Riku is recovering right now. Kairi and Laura are with him at the moment."

"Now then lads," Captain Price then spoke up. "If we caught all of that transmission right, the King's being held at that old tower right now."

"That's right," Pikachu replied. "We have to do something, Neo!"

"Eh!" Stitch added.

"Calm down," Neo said. "I know you all don't want to hear this, but seeing as how I'm next in command at the moment, I'm ordering you all to return to the Castle immediately!"

"What?"

"You heard me," Neo replied. "For all we know, this is a trap set in order to lure you all in and take you out. The King wouldn't want you all to risk yourselves like this."

"He's got a point there lads," the Captain added. "We need to fall back and come up with a plan."

Matt waited a few moments, his head to the floor before he spoke again. "No…" The teen then plopped down into the pilot's seat and entered in new coordinates.

"Matt," Neo exclaimed. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Neo?" Matt replied.

"You're not going to that tower! It's too risky, and you are our best hope to stop these guys!"

"Sorry, Neo, but I can't just sit back and do nothing," Matt replied. "The King has done so much for us already…we can't just leave him there to die. He needs us and needs us now!"

"No one blames you kid," Captain Price exclaimed. "But not only is that place probably flooded with Heartless, but you're dealing with this Sora bloke who we may have no idea how powerful he really is."

"It doesn't matter," Matt added. "I owe the King…and I also have to make due on my promise to Kairi by getting Sora back too!"

Neo growled. "Dammit, Matt! You turn around and get back here now!"

Matt shook his head one last time. "I'm sorry…but I've made up my mind…" Before he heard more, Matt then ended the transmission. He then turned back and faced his comrades. "Do you guys…do you want me to…?"

"No need to ask," Pikachu replied with a thumbs-up.

"Right behind you," Stitch added.

Roxas grinned and put a hand on Matt's shoulder. "I'm going too. I have to get to Sora before it's too late to change him back at all."

Matt nodded firmly, a look of determination written on his face. "Alright then…hold on King Mickey, because here we come!"

_**Boom goes the dynamite! :D**_

_**Well, now we'll see where this goes. Can Matt and co. save the King and Sora? Are you all pumped for the fights to come? Wait and find out!  
**_

_**Peace out,  
**_

_**Biz  
**_


End file.
